June 20, 2025, by Rob Ounsworth
A world top 100 university and champion of UK innovation
Update from Professor Tom Rodden, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
I am delighted to share good news for the university – at a global, national and regional level.
We have been recognised as world top 100 university, while Nottingham has also reinforced its international reputation for supporting progress towards sustainable development.
And as a hub for innovation and knowledge exchange, we are well-placed to respond to the government’s record £86 billion investment in R&D, and its call for universities and their partners to drive regional growth.
World top 100 university in 2026 QS World University Rankings
The University of Nottingham has been recognised as a world top 100 university in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. This wonderful news is recognition of our university’s international reputation for excellence in research, education, employability and impact.
Congratulations to colleagues from across the university whose dedication and excellent work in research and teaching has helped secure this ranking. May I thank everyone for all of the work that underpins this result, which is hugely significant for student recruitment, our profile and our reputation for excellence.
Sustainable Development Goals: leading the way
The university has also once again been recognised as among the world’s top higher education institutions for its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The goals are a call to action and measure progress in addressing global problems such as poverty, climate change and social injustice.
Nottingham has been ranked in the Top 200 in the Sustainable Development Goals, which are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the SDGs. The rankings feature 2,526 institutions from 130 countries.
Again, congratulations to the many colleagues who place sustainability at the heart of all we do.
Our role as an anchor institution in regional economy
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has committed to raising R&D funding to £22 billion per year over the next four years. Our university and the HE sector are under considerable financial pressures but it is heartening that the UK recognises the need for long-term investment in research and innovation.
The chancellor’s spending review also stressed the key role of universities as “anchor institutions” in regional economies, supporting innovation and working with our partners to drive growth.
The University of Nottingham shares the spending review’s focus on:
Strengthening university-business collaboration.
Expanding regional innovation clusters.
Supporting knowledge exchange and commercialisation of research.
Leading the way in knowledge exchange
All this is evidenced in our strong standing in the Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HEBCI) survey results for 2023/24. The HEBCI survey captures university interactions with industry, communities and the public sector. Nottingham was six placed among Russell Group institutions and as well as reaffirming Nottingham’s national standing, the results directly influence our Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF), which rose to £7.5m in 2023/24.
These results reflect the dedication of our academic and professional staff in forging impactful partnerships – your work continues to make a real difference.
Forging Ahead with regional innovation
Dr George Rice, Director of Knowledge Exchange and Business Engagement, and Director of Nottingham Technology Ventures, is set to be appointed to the Council of Forging Ahead. George’s experience in commercialising technologies and translating innovation into real-world impact will help deliver Forging Ahead’s goals.
Forging Ahead is a coalition of 15 Midlands universities, including UoN, and together we aim to help reshape how knowledge exchange, business creation, and investment attraction are delivered across the Midlands, unlocking the region’s research and innovation strengths and turning them into commercial success stories.
It will be open to all HE institutions, their spin-out companies and IP-rich businesses. Key objectives include accelerating and growing innovation activity, including the creation and growth of spin-outs.
East Midlands Investment Zone
The East Midlands Investment Zone (EMIZ) is a 10-year, £160m commitment from Government to transform the East Midlands into an engine for innovation-led growth. In its first year, EMIZ has awarded more than £500,000 in funding to 15 ‘fast start’ pilot projects. This includes a collaboration between The Thinking Pod innovations (TTPi) and our university, focusing on developing low weight, high efficiency power converters for hydrogen fuel cell applications such as electric trucks, hydrogen powered electrical aerospace or electricity grid storage.
The EMIZ grants are awarded through the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). I am proud to serve as chair of EMCCA’s Innovation and Advisory Board, a role that has reinforced my belief that universities can play a leading role in driving regional innovation.
A collaborative, regional approach
Our commitment to regional partnerships and engagement is also evidenced by the university’s holding of the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) Silver Engage Watermark. Senior leaders at the university and our partners at Nottingham Trent University, University of Derby and East Midlands Combined County Authority are taking part in a workshop this week, led by the NCCPE and hosted by UoN’s Institute for Policy and Engagement, to explore collaborative approaches to making our region the best place to live, work and learn.
KTPs: addressing business challenges
Knowledge transfer between the university and local enterprises is an excellent example of how sharing research and expertise has a direct impact, giving innovative SMEs in our region a competitive edge.
In this video, Associate Professor Luis Neves from the Resilience Engineering Research Group explains how a KTP with highways infrastructure and asset management firm XAIS-PTS helped advance his research.
Discover how a KTP can enhance your research
Research in Action Week 23-27 June
The annual Research in Action Week offers a diverse programme of free, expert-led sessions to all staff and research students.
Find our more and book your sessions
The programme is open to colleagues from all disciplines and anyone interested in research integrity, exploring current debates in the research landscape or enhancing their practical skills.
Research showcase events
Our world-class facilities have been showcased over the last couple of weeks at a series of lunchtime Research Showcase events.
The final event in the series takes place 12-1pm on Friday 27 June, when you can hear presentations on the Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham Geospatial Institute, Cobot Maker Space, Power Electronics and Machine Centre, Zero Carbon Cluster.
Foreign Influence Registration Scheme
The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), part of the National Security Act 2023, comes into force on 1 July 2025. This new legislation marks a significant step in strengthening the UK’s defences against covert foreign influence, particularly in areas with potential national security implications.
We are operating in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable global environment. Relationships with long-standing international partners – once considered stable – are now subject to greater scrutiny and risk. In this context, Trusted Research plays a crucial role in safeguarding not only our institution, but also the careers and reputations of our researchers. At the University of Nottingham, we are fortunate to have a team of dedicated specialists in Trusted Research. I strongly encourage all colleagues to engage with them if they have any concerns or questions about international research partnerships.
Foreign Influence Registration Scheme: what new rules mean for us
MBE for pioneer in medical research and education
Congratulations to Jaspal Singh Taggar, Professor of Primary Care and Medical Education, who has been awarded an MBE in this year’s Birthday Honours. Jaspal, Head of Undergraduate Primary Care Education and Director of the Primary Care Education Unit at the university, as well as a practising GP, has been recognised for his services to general practice and education.
Fellow of Royal Society
Professor John King FRS, Professor of Theoretical Mechanics in the School of Mathematical Sciences has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society – one of the highest honours in science.
Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship
Professor Sube Banerjee, MBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, has been awarded a Fellowship from the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Prize for black holes researcher
Dr Laura Sberna from the School of Mathematical Sciences has been awarded a prize from the Italian Society for General Relativity and Gravitational Physics (SIGRAV). Laura was recognised for her transformative advances in gravitational-wave physics and insights into black hole “vibrations”.
She is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral and Anne McLaren fellow and is a member of the consortium for the European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which will be the first space-based observatory dedicated to studying gravitational waves: ripples in the fabric of space-time emitted during the most powerful events in the universe, such as pairs of black holes coming together and merging.
With thanks and best wishes
Professor Tom Rodden
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange
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